2019 ALCS MVP: Washington v. Omaha
The 2019 Stroh's ALCS MVP Award goes to....
DH BILL ANDERSON, WAS. Round of Applause.
.310/.375/.931 with 6 HR! and 8 RBI. That was the stat line that Washington Admiral DH Bill Anderson put up in the Championship series against hated rival Omaha. Anderson had a HR in each of the first three games but it was only in the 3rd game that Washington was able to not blow his offensive contribution. Anderson really shined late in the series, specifically in Game 6 and 7. Washington was attempting to come from a 3-1 deficit to Omaha in the series and won Game 5 to push it to 3-2 for Game 6. Anderson again hit a HR, this time in the 9th inning to extend Washington's lead. They would later blow that lead and win in the 12th. Anderson won Player of the Game in Game 7 for his heroic 2 HR performance which included a 10th inning HR. This Louisville, Kentucky native needs to set down the bourbon and pick up a Stroh's!
2019 NLDS MVP: St. Louis v. Miami
The 2019 Stroh's NLDS MVP Award goes to....
RF FREDERICK MITCHELL, STL. Round of Applause.
The Frederick Mitchell has had quite a rejuvenation of his career. Although he never really declined greatly Mitchell did seem to lose a bit when he left Omaha. That is, until he found himself again in St. Louis circa 2018-2019. Mitchell has been MVP level player and singlehandedly destroyed Miami. Mitchell homered in 4 of 5 games it took St. Louis to dispose of the Banditos. In Game 4 Mitchell homered twice and won Player of the Game for the 2nd time of the series. In total Mitchell hit .476/.522/1.238 with 5 HR and 10 RBI which is a phenomenal stat line. The series was a score fest with both teams pitching being severely inadequate, but Frederick Mitchell probably had the best postseason performance in a series in 2019. Drown yourself in Stroh's this offseason, Freddie.
2019 NLDS MVP: San Francisco v. Pittsburgh
The 2019 Stroh's NLDS MVP Award goes to....
3B FERNANDO RODRIGUEZ, SF. Round of Applause!
San Francisco was down 2-0 in this series and despair was rampant. Yet the wily veteran Fernando Rodriguez was never rattled. With with 16 postseason games under his belt and a 2016 World Series ring and World Series MVP, Rodriguez was ready to lead. San Francisco came roaring back winning the next three games to take a 3-2 lead. F-Rod had 2 key doubles in games 4 & 5 and three RBI. Yet it was Game 6 that really won this Stroh's Award for F-Rod. His two solo HRs coming in the 4th and 7th innings are what propelled SF to victory over Pitt and Game 6 and gave them the series. Get crunk, get drunk, and don't be a punk, drink Stroh's Fernando!
2019 ALDS MVP: Omaha v. New York
The 2019 Stroh's ALDS MVP Award goes to....
SP JOAQUIN HERNANDEZ, OMA. Round of Applause.
Joaquin Hernandez was brought to Omaha this past offseason to do one thing, be the Wolverine ACE. Hernandez had no problem living up to that billing in the series against New York. He set the tone of the series in Game 1 by going 8 strong innings, giving up 3 ER and striking out 10! Omaha ended up winning 6-3 that game and then proceeded on to win Game 2 and 3, giving them a 3-0 run. Amazingly, Omaha couldn't put the steel tipped boot points to the jugular of the 5 Points. New York took Games 4 and 5 to make the series very uncomfortable for GM Mike Gilmore an d MA Frankie Patterson. Of course, who else to call on for a Game 6 with everything on the line? Joaquin Hernandez showed extreme perseverance and gumption. Hernandez again went 8 innings and led Omaha to a series win and he claimed his 2nd W in the postseason. Sad to be in Omaha rather than Indianapolis, J-H-Dez? Well here's some Stroh's by the case and some plastic beer cups for your amusement.
2019 ALDS MVP: Washington v. Los Angeles
The 2019 Stroh's ALDS MVP Award goes to....
CL MYLES ROSS, WAS. Round of Applause!!
Anticipation was high for the Washington and LA matchup. Washington just finished sweeping the other Mountain West playoff team, Portland, and was looking to dismantle LA as well. Contributing greatly in the Portland series was CL Myles Ross who picked up Saves in both victories. Ross kept the momentum up in the LA series closing out the first 3 games of the series in Washington's eventual 4-0 sweep of LA. The late season replacement for Bruce Ross (no relation) has really surprised most of league with his success. Many wonder if he can keep it up, but we all DO KNOW that if he keeps drinking his Stroh's then Saves will roll in. So drink up Myles "Brand" Ross and lift a toast to your dead namesake!
2019 NL Wildcard MVP: St. Louis v. Houston
It's Ron Kirkpatrick, the St. Louis CF.
It was a weird series. St. Louis won Game 2 in the bottom of the 10th on a walk-off wild pitch. They then won Game 3 in the bottom of the 11th on a bases loaded 4-pitch walk with 2 outs.
Kirkpatrick is then a fitting MVP. He played only 46 G for St Louis on the year, spending most his time in AAA. And going forward, the Savages have elected to leave him off their playoff roster for the next round, with the recovery of Frederick Mitchell.
But Kirkpatrick wins the award on the strength of his Game 2 performance. In the bottom of the third he hit a solo shot to give St. Louis a 2-0 lead. In the bottom of the 7th, when the Savages had fallen behind 6-3 and were staring down elimination, he hit a 2 out 2 Run HR to make it 6-5. And then, most importantly of all, in the bottom of the 9th, with 2 outs, a runner on second, and still trailing 6-5, Kirkpatrick hit an ultra clutch game tying single to save the St. Louis season.
2019 AL Wildcard MVP: Washington v. Portland
It's Andy Wells, who went 2-7 with 2 HR in the two game sweep. He edged out teammates Mario Lopez, Tony Rodriguez, and Randall Hutchinson.
2018 World Series MVP: Minneapolis v. Memphis
The 2018 Stroh's World Series MVP Award goes to....
1B ROBERT LEE, MIN. Round of Applause!!
Many baseball pundits have been referring to 2018 as the year of the small markets. Minneapolis and Memphis World Series included two of the smallest markets in baseball. Include Indy and Montreal's success combined with the lack of success in New York, Chicago, Brooklyn, Dallas, and others and you can see that there is a renaissance among the smaller market teams. Make no mistake though, the small market tag does not mean less potent. Real baseball fans saw this matchup as one for the ages, both teams came on strong after weak starts and both teams looked amazingly potent in the playoffs. The series was legendary and for the 2nd time in the playoffs Minneapolis won 3 straight to overcome a 3-1 series deficit. Leading the charge was star player Robert Lee. Lee compiled a .536/.567/.929 line with 3 HRs and 8 RBI and was a force to be reckoned with in all 7 games. ALDS Stroh's MVP Kealaalohi Nerida had perhaps the most dramatic moment with his pinch hit 3 run HR in the top of the 9th. Also, Tanner Frazier closed the last 3 games out with out allowing a single hit. Congrats to Robert Lee and the Mutiny on a job well done!
2018 NLCS MVP: Memphis v. Indianapolis
The 2018 Stroh's NLCS MVP Award goes to....
1B ERIC WILSON, MEM. Round of Applause!!
Wow. It's not often that you have a player win two Stroh's Awards in one year, or even a lifetime for that matter, but Eric Wilson definitely earned his. Memphis again swept another foe, this time the NL win leaders, the Black Jacks. Wilson hit a HR in every game of the series. He totaled .467/.529/1.333 with 4 HR, 9 RBI, and 5 runs. Wilson cemented himself in EWB postseason history as well. Who is Eric Wilson? He was a 7th round pick by Memphis in 2011 and by 2016 he was considered the #46 prospect in baseball. However, playing 1b is no easy road to EWB as it's often blocked by talented veterans. In this case Howard Frazier had solidified himself as the starting 1B in Memphis. Frazier, though, was injured in 2018 allowing Wilson a roster spot and a shot at playing DH, especially after Durante Love was traded to El Paso. Wilson struggled through most of the season, hitting .227/13/54 in 124 games but has really found his groove in the postseason. Here's to your future, a toast of Stroh's for Mr. Wilson.
2018 ALCS MVP: Minneapolis v. Washington
The 2018 Stroh's ALCS MVP Award goes to....
SP JACOB GILLIAM, MIN. Round of Applause!!
Washington had defied all the odds coming into this series: the injuries, the play in game/race to wildcard, the wildcard round, and knocking out Montreal in round 1. Yet their storybook run would come to the end at the hands of the Mutiny in a short 5 game series. Jacob Gilliam would play a large role in the defeat of the Admirals. Gilliam is a 32 yr old pitcher who has traveled around his fair share. Initially drafted by SF he was traded to Boston for Woody Allen. A typical 4th or 5th guy in the rotation, Gilliam was able to shut out the Admirals twice in the series. In Game 2 with Minneapolis up 1-0 in the series, Gilliam went out to face Clint Miller and pitched 8 scoreless innings to earn the Mutiny 1-0 win and himself the Player of the Game. Then in Game 5 Gilliam faced the Randall Hutchinson and again held the Admirals scoreless to earn the W and the Player of the Game. Gilliam finished the series with 14.1 scoreless innings and only 2 BB with 9 hits allowed and 10 K's. Bravo Mr. Gilliam, bravo, enjoy a nice cold Stroh's.